Her Elemental Dragons: The Complete Series
Her Elemental Dragons: Kiss the Sky: Chapter 17

In the morning I slipped out of the palace, unnoticed by any guards or servants, and headed back into the city. Stormhaven was already waking up even as dawn crested over the ocean waves to the east, a sight that always seemed wrong to me. The sun should be setting into the water, as it did in the Water Realm, not rising from it.

I moved through the brightening streets with my hood up, a shadow among the bustling crowds headed for the markets and shops. As the day heated up, I made my way to the docks, where the air smelled of salt and fish, while sailors hauled crates onto the ships. Our boat waited at the northern end, and though Auric had said he’d sorted everything out with the guard, I wanted to confirm it with my own eyes to make sure we had a quick exit strategy, especially since we didn’t have our horses with us. All good assassins had at least three exits planned out in case something went wrong…and something always went wrong.

A royal guard was perched in front of our boat, but I had no interest in giving her an explanation to as to why I was there. When no one was looking, I dropped off the dock and slipped into the water, feeling the instant relief as the chill surrounded me. As the Azure Dragon’s ascendant I could breathe underwater, and I easily swam over to the other side of the boat. I climbed up the outside of it while using my magic to remove the water from my clothes and send it back into the ocean. By the time I vaulted up onto the wooden deck I was completely dry and the royal guard didn’t have a clue I was there.

From up here, everything seemed to be in order. I dropped down into the hatch leading below deck, and found evidence that the guards had tossed the place, probably looking for something incriminating so they could pin Auric’s supposed kidnapping on us, or perhaps replace an explanation as to where he’d been all this time. Our things had been taken during the search and had been delivered last night to us in the palace, but I checked a few nooks and crannies to make sure nothing had been left behind, then removed the spare knife I’d hidden under one of the wooden planks. Finally, I rearranged the hammock and cleaned up some of the other mess, before climbing back up.

As I walked off the ship, I gave the confused guard a nod. She called out some questions, but didn’t follow me more than a few feet. Probably on orders to stay with the ship at all times. I turned a corner and left her behind.

It had been a year since I’d been in Stormhaven, but it hadn’t changed much. People wore colorful, loose clothing, and the bustling crowd was ripe for pickpocketing. Cafes and little shops sold everything from clothes to art to pastries. For a split second I considered buying something for Kira to cheer her up after what Auric had done, but then dismissed the idea entirely. I wasn’t trying to woo her. We weren’t a couple. If I was smart, I’d just keep walking and never return to the castle at all.

Maybe that was why I ended up in a seedy neighborhood where the crowd didn’t dare wander. A dark, unmarked building was tucked at the end of an alley, and I slipped inside. The tavern was otherwise empty this early in the day, and the bartender gave me a nod as I sat at the end of the bar. She had short, white hair and a tattoo of a dagger on her wrinkled neck, and though she didn’t look like much of a threat, I knew better.

Zara poured me some ale. ‘Surprised to see you, Reven. Last I heard you weren’t taking on any jobs at the moment.’

I pushed my hood back. ‘I took some time off.’

She nodded. ‘Always a good idea now and then. Don’t want to get burned out. This is a tough profession.’

My eyes narrowed. Me, burn out? Was that what others in the Guild thought? I took a long sip of the cold ale and then said, ‘I’m here now.’

‘That so?’ She wiped down the counter as she eyed me with scrutiny. ‘As it turns out, a job came in last night that requires a special touch.’

‘My specialty.’

‘This one is high profile, with the biggest reward I’ve seen in all my days. Won’t be easy though. Might be too much for even you.’

“I doubt that.” I gestured for her to get on with it. ‘What’s the job?’

She leaned over the counter and dropped her voice. ‘The target is the King.’

‘The King,’ I said, my voice flat. ‘Why would someone want him dead?’

‘I don’t know. The order came from above.” Her eyes flicked to the ceiling. “Way above.’

‘A Dragon?’

“I can’t say any more.” She refilled my drink and sighed. “The King is well loved here in Stormhaven and his reign has been a good one. It’s a damn shame. But we can’t exactly say no to the Dragons.’

I tightened my grip on the glass. ‘No, we can’t.’

‘Are you interested?’ Zara asked. “Or should I replace someone else?”

I chugged my ale as I considered, realizing this moment would define my path for the rest of my life. Zara was giving me the chance to return to my old life and prove to the Guild I was still the best. It would require killing Auric’s father and serving the Dragons, but wasn’t that who I was—an assassin for hire? I’d already walked away from Kira once. I could do it again, and this time it would be permanent. Or I could walk away from my past and accept my fate with Kira as the next Azure Dragon.

I set down my ale and met Zara’s eyes. ‘I’ll take the job.’